Classic's thoughts on Fightwriter moving to subscription service?

Good afternoon (EST).

I'm sure a good number of the posters here are familiar with, if not regular readers of Graham Houston's boxing columns.

He's not the longest-running boxing journalist, nor the most accurate predictor, but he is certainly very well established and his previews and recaps are widely respected; and I personally have always used his moneyline and over/under handicapping as a basis for VBookie odds when there are not other sources available.

Recently, this message was posted:

Now, I understand that if people are turning a profit off of his hard effort that he is entitled to charge for it. The only thing that bothers me is that a precedent was set for so many years of the rest of us - non-gamblers - being able to enjoy his insights without having to purchase any subscription.

I feel that there are many, like myself, who frequent Mr. Houston's site simply out of curiosity and respect for his opinion, for fun and enrichment rather than for personal financial gain.

$20/month is a bit steep for merely "fun and enrichment", especially in the current economical climate.

Does anybody else feel that it's a shame non-gamblers will no longer be privy to Graham's pre-fight breakdowns and predictions? It's always been interesting to compare them to my own, but it's not interesting enough to part with $240 on the year.

 

Sorry to hear you've had poor experiences with him. Having chatted with him a bit in the past, he seems to be a bit of an introvert and it's plain to see how he could come off as aloof, but my interactions have never found him to be outright rude (maybe because I'm a bit like that myself ).

One thing that's earned my respect is that for a British writer, he's always been pretty even-handed and forthright about which of his home country's products have legitimate world class upside and which are merely domestic interests.

He also seems to force himself, even in apparent mismatches, to drum up pros and cons for both participants rather than just harp on why the favorite is going to dominate.

I too have often disagreed with his predictions or with how he's scored or analyzed some past contests, but even when he's wrong IMO his case is articulately stated and interesting.

It will be a shame to lose access to his work, being that I don't gamble and therefore haven't enough compelling reason to subscribe.